Georgia's Path to Statehood: Colony, Not Territory

Georgia was never a U.S. territory before becoming a state; it began as a British colony. Founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe and a group of English settlers, the Georgia Colony served as a buffer between the Carolinas and Spanish Florida. After the American Revolution, Georgia ratified the U.S. Constitution on January 2, 1788, becoming the fourth state to join the Union.